You Were Sent to the Capital as a Hostage, Yet You Took the Throne as Emperor? - Chapter 32:

Chapter 32: Isn’t This a Bit Too Exciting?

Duke Jing, Qin Shan, was indeed like his name.

Standing there, he was like a small mountain, exuding an overwhelming sense of oppression.

The moment he entered, his gaze locked onto Wei Ran. His pupils narrowed, and his expression turned cold.

But he didn’t speak right away. Instead, he pointed at the betting slip in Qin Feng’s hand and said, “Qin Feng, what’s that in your hand?”

Qin Feng didn’t dare let his grandfather know he had lost a bet and was supposed to streak naked.

Terrified, he quickly stuffed the slip into his clothes and forced a dry laugh. “N-nothing.”

Qin Shan’s tiger eyes widened. “Another love poem you wasted money on?”

He looked at him with bitter disappointment.

“All you think about is that little girl from the Su family. You have no ambition at all.”

“That little girl from the Chief of the Imperial Academy can’t even reach my knee if she jumps. How can she compare to the sturdy girl from the Dugu family, who’s good at bearing children?”

Qin Feng shivered, his expression as if he had swallowed dung.

Wei Ran’s mouth twitched.

A sturdy girl from the Dugu family?

Dugu Sturdy?

What decent family would name their daughter that?

Qin Shan snorted angrily. “Forget about that little Su girl. I do not approve of that marriage.”

“One of these days, I’ll personally take you to the Dugu family to propose to Dugu Sturdy.”

Qin Feng panicked.

“Grandfather, please spare me. I’d rather die than marry Dugu Sturdy…”

“Whether you marry or not is up to me.”

He flung his sleeves, finally looking at Wen Wan’er and Wei Ran, as if waiting for them to speak.

Lady Wen maintained her composure and saluted Qin Shan. “Granddaughter-in-law greets Grandfather.”

Qin Shan looked at Wei Ran coldly. “No one comes to the temple without a reason. What brings the Heir of Prince Min to my humble abode?”

Wei Ran bowed gracefully.

“Greetings to Duke Jing.”

Qin Shan turned to his granddaughter-in-law, frowning. “Wan’er, aren’t you going to explain?”

Lady Wen explained calmly, “Grandfather, it’s true that I hold a grudge against the Prince Min couple, but the child is innocent.”

“Ran’er came today to visit his aunt. We’ve acknowledged each other. From now on, we’ll have someone to rely on.”

Qin Shan’s tiger eyes widened. “Wan’er, have you forgotten the battle against the Northern Hu?”

“Your husband, your father-in-law, and more than fifty thousand lives were lost.”

“If not for Wei Wuji’s selfish desire to steal credit, deliberately delaying reinforcements, they wouldn’t have died.”

“And now, you’ve acknowledged this boy?”

His eyes turned red, his chest heaving as he gasped for breath.

He had once supported Wei Wuji becoming the Grand General, only to raise a thankless wolf.

Even now, the regret haunted his dreams.

Lady Wen bit her lips. “I have never forgotten, but Grandfather, you should know, Wei Ran is different from his parents.”

“Hahaha!” Qin Shan burst into furious laughter. “A nest of wolves and dogs. How different can they be?”

Wei Ran said calmly, “I know Duke Jing still holds grudges over the past.”

“But those old hatreds have nothing to do with me. I’m just a nephew who cares for his widowed aunt.”

Qin Shan snorted. “Sweet talk.”

“Wan’er, your lonely widowhood was caused by them. Don’t let yourself be deceived by his words again.”

“Listen to me, get him out of here. We don’t need such relatives in this house.”

Lady Wen bit her lips and said firmly, “Grandfather, no matter what, we have already acknowledged each other.”

“Aren’t you afraid of being deceived again?” Qin Shan roared with rage.

Lady Wen lowered her head. “There’s nothing left in me worth deceiving now. This nephew is different. He won’t deceive me.”

“You… sigh.”

Qin Shan waved his hand weakly.

“Fine, fine. Just send him away. I can’t stand looking at him.”

But Lady Wen said something shocking, “Then I’ll send Ran’er back to his residence. In a few days, I will go stay at Prince Min’s residence for a while.”

“What?”

Qin Shan was furious. “You still want to go live at Prince Min’s residence? Wan’er, are you mad?”

“I can turn a blind eye to you acknowledging him, but moving to Prince Min’s residence is absolutely forbidden.”

Lady Wen did not insist. She simply nodded and, holding Wei Ran’s arm affectionately, walked out of the house.

Qin Shan frowned deeply as he watched them leave.

Once they were gone, he turned to Qin Feng.

In a deep voice, he asked, “What exactly happened today?”

Qin Feng told him everything honestly.

“This morning, Wei Ran came to visit. At first, sister-in-law wanted to kill him out of anger.”

“But I don’t know what trick this guy used. They stayed busy in her courtyard for an hour.”

“When they came out, they were as close as mother and son, laughing and chatting…”

Qin Shan frowned even tighter, finding it hard to believe.

After a long silence, his eyes narrowed shrewdly.

“Looks like it’s necessary to find an opportunity to test this boy with a few old friends.”

…

Gao Ming stood dumbfounded as he saw Lady Wen walking arm in arm with Wei Ran.

Lady Wen glared at him with her charming eyes. “What are you looking at? Keep staring, and I’ll gouge your eyes out.”

Gao Ming immediately shut up, swallowing all his questions.

Lady Wen smiled sweetly, her voice soft.

“Ran’er, Aunt will escort you home first. After I finish some matters in the mansion, I’ll come stay at Prince Min’s residence for a few days. We, aunt and nephew, should spend more time together.”

These words were, of course, meant for Gao Ming.

His expression changed immediately. He spoke hesitantly, “Lady Wen, this seems… inappropriate.”

“You and Prince Min have a strained relationship. If you move into Prince Min’s residence, I’m afraid…”

Lady Wen’s face turned cold. She slapped him.

Slap.

The slap was fast, even a top expert like Gao Ming couldn’t dodge it.

“Insolence!”

Lady Wen scolded angrily. “You’re just a servant. How dare you interfere in your master’s affairs?”

“I may not get along with Prince Min, but that doesn’t mean I can’t get along with my nephew.”

“Where I live is none of your business!”

Gao Ming nodded repeatedly, gritting his teeth and apologizing.

“Yes, yes, Lady Wen is right.”

Wei Ran chuckled.

Lady Wen gave him a playful glare. “Ran’er, as the Heir of Prince Min, you shouldn’t be too soft-tempered.”

“If you can’t even discipline a servant, how will you inherit the title in the future?”

Wei Ran nodded. “Aunt is right. I’ll remember your lesson.”

Lady Wen glared at Gao Ming and said sternly, “You’re just a dog. If you defy me again, I’ll kill you with one strike.”

“Yes, yes, I wouldn’t dare,”

Gao Ming lowered his head so much it was almost in his pants, his cheeks puffed, eyes turning red with anger.

Though furious, his heart was filled with doubt.

All of the capital knew that Lady Wen and Prince Min were at odds.

Now, they suddenly acknowledged each other as nephew and aunt. He couldn’t help but suspect there was something fishy between them.

But even if he suspected, he didn’t dare question her directly.

Even if he had the courage of a lion, he wouldn’t dare confront Lady Wen face to face.

Lady Wen and Wei Ran boarded the carriage.

The carriage slowly headed toward Prince Min’s residence.

Lady Wen smiled sweetly, her voice crisp. “Dear nephew, do you want Aunt to kill that unruly dog servant outside for you?”

Gao Ming, driving the carriage, broke into a cold sweat and glanced nervously at the curtain.

“No need. It’s just a dog. Let’s not dirty Aunt’s hands.”

“Why keep a disobedient dog around?”

“Aunt is wrong this time. Even a dog can be trained.”

“If you say so, then Aunt won’t interfere.”

They whispered inside the carriage.

If Gao Ming were killed, Wei Wuji would surely assign someone else to take over.

And who knew if the next person would be easy to handle?

Lady Wen looked at Wei Ran’s handsome face and found him more pleasing to the eye the more she looked.

Suddenly, an idea came to her. She wanted to tease him.

She leaned over with a seductive smile and whispered into his ear, her breath warm and fragrant.

“Take your clothes off.”

“…”

Wei Ran’s heart skipped a beat.

Hiss… this was inside the carriage…

Was she really this impatient?